Save Article

An Outbreak of Hysteria Novels

Megan Abbott and Katherine Howe both have new books based on the mysterious twitching girls of Le Roy, N.Y.

By

Alexandra Alter

June 12, 2014 10:32 p.m. ET

There are uncanny similarities between "The Fever," a new suspense novel from rising crime-fiction star Megan Abbott, and "Conversion," a coming young adult novel from Katherine Howe.

In both books, a cluster of teenage girls develops mysterious symptoms, including uncontrollable facial tics, stuttering and seizures. The strange outbreak begins with a popular girl and spreads to her circle of friends, eventually drawing national media attention. Cellphone videos of girls twitching go viral on social...